Ocean Racing

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, has broken new ground for the Volvo Ocean Race by being confirmed as the first Middle East stopover in the history of the event.A boat from Abu Dhabi will also take its place on the start line of the 2011-12 race, which is scheduled to begin in Alicante, Spain, in the autumn of next year.The agreement was signed yesterday by

After unveiling the SpeedDream concept a couple of months ago, New England-based designer Vlad Murnikov is continuing to shed light on his planned record-breaking monohull as the project moves forward.According to Murnikov, who designed Fazisi, the Russian entry in the 1989-90 Whitbread Round the World Race, SpeedDream will be capable of sustained speeds of 40-45 knots

This summer, teens in New England will have a unique opportunity to take their sailing offshore. The Ida Lewis Distance Race, now in its sixth year, is introducing a new component to the event in which teams of 14- to 19-year-olds can compete in a “youth challenge.” The race will begin on August 20, and race organizers are

After a slow start, skipper Franck Cammas and his maxi trimaran Groupama 3 are now locked in a tight “virtual match race” with Bruno Peyron’s 38-meter catamaran Orange 2.Cammas is about midway through an attempt at the Jules Verne Trophy, which is awarded to the boat with the fastest circumnavigation. Orange 2 currently holds the record—completing the 27,000-mile

MEXORC has always been a moving target, and for 2010 it’s being redesigned yet again. This is your looking-ahead checkup, because there’s been a concern and maybe we can clear that up. But first—The essential West-Coast-of-Mexico-biennial is now a featured component of the inaugural Regata Copa Mxico, intended to celebrate the country’s bicentennial and then build from there. Some pretty

For Australia’s hard-core sailors, the question isn’t whether you’re going, but how many you’ve sailed (so far). Even among the most hardcore of this decidedly hardcore country, the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, or “The Hobart” as it’s known, represents a serious challenge. The brochure goes something like this: start on Boxing Day (December 26) on one of the world’s most brilliant starting

A Look at the 2009 Sydney-Hobart RaceAmongst Australia’s hard-core sailors, the question isn’t whether you’re going. It’s a question of how many you’ve sailed (so far). Indeed, amongst the most hardcore of this decidedly hardcore country, the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, or “The Hobart” as it’s known, represents a serious challenge. The brochure goes something like this: Start on

While the next Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) doesn’t kick off until 2011, gears are spinning rapidly to get the various pieces in place so that teams can design boats, build boats and start test sailing their craft. As the past two editions have made completely clear, VOR teams that start early, train hard and are the most prepared are certain to be strong contenders, if not outright winners. It was no

Torben Grael and his crew aboard their superbly prepared Ericsson 4 dominated this year's grueling 37,000-mile Volvo Ocean Race. Guy Salter, 37, a skilled ocean racer in his own right-he was bowman aboard Tyco in the 2001 VOR-was also aboard Ericsson 4 as the team's media crew member; every boat had one. But under the race rules Salter couldn't help his crewmates sail the boat. His job was to

In late July two giant trimarans, Banque Populaire 5 and Groupama 3, set out from Ambrose Light off New York, their bows aimed for Lizard Point on England's southwest coast, both bent on breaking the fully crewed west-to-east Transatlantic record. The record, set by Franck Cammas on Groupama 3 in 2007, was 4 days, 3 hours, 57 minutes and 54 seconds, a pace so quick that both teams needed a